As we approach our one-year anniversary Squaring the Strange, the podcast I co-host with Pascual Romero and Celestia Ward, I wanted to review early episodes you may have missed!
Episode 2: What Are We Skeptical About?
Introduction, the podcast’s new social media and Patreon. What are Ben and Pascual skeptical about this week? Pascual discusses the Wall Street Bull v. Fearless Girl statue lawsuit controversy and public interpretation of art, as well as an artist’s rights once their work is in the public square; Ben discusses the recent viral story about a white 2-year-old defending her choice of a black doll to a Target cashier, and points out red flags like lack of corroboration/witnesses, a flood of supportive messages, the urban legend/Snopes concept of “glurge,” and the danger of major media outlets repeating stories that have no real source or evidence besides a Facebook post; the similarity to a viral story in Fall 2016 about a pastor who (supposedly) announced at a football game that anyone not standing for the national anthem should be shot. Ben and Pascual analyze Ben’s “fan” mail. (SHAME ON YOU, BENJAMIN!)
You can find more on me and my work with a search for "Benjamin Radford" (not "Ben Radford") on Vimeo, and please check out my podcast Squaring the Strange!